


Captive

by RyanTyler2294



Series: Caged Within [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Dark, M/M, Shiro (Voltron)'s Missing Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-02-22 20:28:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13174614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyanTyler2294/pseuds/RyanTyler2294
Summary: Shiro's year with the Empire broke him.  He realized just how futile life was. Ulaz wants to save him and give him something to live for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is tagged as dark for a reason. I don't tag for specific acts that will transpire. So just assume the worst before reading. Anyway, this the fist part of a series. I hope you enjoy.

Rescue wasn’t coming. It was something Shiro had come to terms with. No one knew where he was, and Earth didn’t have the technology to get out this far. Even if they did, there was no way they could fight the Galra army, much less risk so many lives for three people.

 This was his life now.

 It hadn’t been that bad up until now, as silly as it may sound. They had been given remedial work to do. As long as they kept their heads down they were left alone. Once he and Matt were separated from Sam things started to get worse. They didn’t speak any of the alien languages and it left them isolated. Then Matt got picked for the Battle Arena and Shiro had to injure him in order to keep him safe. Back then he didn’t fully realize what it meant to have to battle.

 It had been overwhelming the first time to step out into such a huge space with everyone cheering. There had to be at least a few thousand onlookers. His opponent was bigger than him in every way. But he survived somehow! He’d manage to survive for… well, he wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it must have been a long time. At least it felt like a long time.

 When the battle was over he was thrown back into the cell with the other prisoners. Sometimes he was given medical care if he was hurt badly, but it was just because they wanted him to fight another day. He was isolated in the cell. The others were scared of him. They looked at him with wide eyes whenever he came back and jumped whenever he moved. It didn’t help that he didn’t speak their language. They would whisper and talk and look over at him but made no attempt at communications. The few times he had tried to talk he was ignored.

 He was starting to pick up on what they were saying, them and the Galra. He spent more time observing and listening to the interactions around him. It made it easier for him to listen to the Galra’s direction. He didn’t get slapped around as much for “disobeying” when he honestly just didn’t understand what they were asking of him. But it took a toll when he realized what was being said in the other cells. Things like, “Please let us go,” and “He’s dying. Please help,” were accompanied by constant weeping and screams of terror from the abused.

 He also learned that the other prisoners thought he came from some sort of bloodthirsty race, not unlike the Galra, and that was why he fought so well. They thought he was dangerous.

 He didn’t bother to try and talk to them once he found this out. There was no point in coming closer and trying to make nice if they were scared. The situation was bad enough. He made himself comfortable in the corner and nursed his wounds. He fought back his gag reflex whenever food was passed out. His body wanted to reject it, but he needed to eat. There was no way of telling when he would be thrown back in the arena for the Galra’s amusement.

 “These rations are a joke,” one of the prisoners said. “Do they want us to die in this cell?”

 “Hush,” another said. “If you complain they’ll…”

 “They’ll what? There’s nothing worse they could possibly do to…”

 “Here,” Shiro extended what was left of his food. “You can have mine.”

 A silence fell over the cell as the favor hung in the air. Shiro smiled softly.

 “I don’t need it,” Shiro emphasized. “Take it.”

 “T-thank you,” the other prisoner accepted it.

 “My name is Shiro.” Now was as good a time as any to try and open up some form of communication.  The others were still on edge because of his presence, but tried to smile back at him.

 ~.~.~.~.~

 It was slow coming, but the other prisoners started to warm up to him. It was easier to be here when he wasn’t isolated. They would exchange stories about their homeland and their families. Many had been snatched from their homes in order to come here and entertain the Galra. No one knew how all of this started, they just knew that the Galra were in charge and that nothing could change that.

 “We’ll be alright,” Shiro said. “We’ll get out of this somehow.” It didn’t matter how strong the Galra were there had to be someone somewhere who hadn’t succumb to them. There had to be someone stronger. Who knows! Maybe they would be able to get him back home.

 Shiro was more focused on the day-to-day. He had to survive this. He was first pick whenever a prisoner was chosen for the Battle Arena. His fights were becoming more frequent as the news of his winning streak spread. The creatures he was fighting were becoming more and more vicious, and harder to beat. He was no longer able to escape without a few scratches and bruises. Claws and teeth had carved into his flesh and left him with reminders gouged into his very being.

 He was getting used to being poked and probed at. Checkups were becoming mandatory for him. He always had to be ready for the next fight. It wasn’t all bad. It means larger rations of food and drink. If he was cold, a few thin blankets were thrown his way. He shared everything he got with his fellow prisoners.

 Then he started to constantly regurgitate his food. He couldn’t keep it down anymore. There had been multiple attempts, but each time he ended up emptying his stomach in the corner of the cell. The other prisoners moved to the other side of the room. He didn’t blame them. Dying of illness was a slow and painful process. If you weren’t valued by the Galra then they left you to suffer. It had already happened to a few of their old cellmates.

 By the third feeding attempted the guard came in and dragged him out. They restrained him and snapped a muzzle around his mouth. He could barely put up a struggle he was so weak, not that it mattered. Even if he got away from these guys, he had no idea where he was in the universe. If he even made it to some sort of escape pod he could end up roaming for days before he died from lack of supplies.

 He was dragged into the examining room and thrown onto one of the tables. He recognized this place from when he had first been brought in and examined. He and the other prisoners had been put against the wall, stripped down, and accessed to see where they would be moved to. The doctor at the time had manhandled him as he poked and prodded at him. He still had marks on his arms from where he had been grabbed.

 Today the doctor was different. He was a lighter color than the other Galra that he had seen. He and the guards were talking, exchanging information about the current situation.

“He bites,” One warned the doctor. They spoke in Galran so he only picked up on a few words.

“What…problem?” The doctor was speaking to him. He spoke again before Shiro tried to express that he couldn’t understand him in the language that the other aliens taught him. He was ignored as the guards started to talk to the doctor instead.

Then everything happened at once. The doctor moved away and pulled out what looked like one of their guns. He started to panic and went to squirm away, but one of the guards held him down. One massive hand was on his bound legs and the other was on his head. He struggled to try and get his arms from behind his back but the metal cuffs stayed in place.

The gun was pressed to the side of his head and he let out a small gurgled scream of panic and gave one last flinch before the trigger was pulled. Surprisingly, he didn’t die. Instead, he felt a pinch on his temple. The world seemed to fall away and spin around him. The noise of the room faded and started to come back into focus.

“It may take a while for the translator chip to be fully functional. It depends on his brain capacity” The doctor spoke. “I’ll be able to handle it from here.”

He watched them, taken aback by the fact that he could understand what was being said. It was disorienting, and left him nauseous and with a headache.

“Careful, he’s the Champion. I doubt Zarkon would be too pleased if something happens before he could see him fight.”

They left. Shiro stayed still, only using his eyes to try and reorient himself with the room. Huge hands were suddenly helping him to sit up. There was a rush in his head as he was moved about. He slumped forwards but managed to keep himself upright as he was once again poked and prodded like an animal. The muzzle was undone and removed from his face. A clawed hand pried his mouth open to get a look inside.

There was a finger in his mouth holding it open. He saw an opportunity and he took it. He bit down on the Galra’s hand. It let out a screech as it withdrew his hand, holding it and inspecting it for damage.

“They did warn me,” The doctor grimaced. He shook his hand out before looking back at Shiro. “I take it your mouth isn’t the problem then?” A pause. “Can you understand me yet?”

“Yes,” Shiro answered, still tense and on guard.

“Why are you here today?” The Galra watched him closely like he was expecting him to run.

“Because the food is shit.” He spat. “I hardly get anything, and what I do get I can’t eat.”

“Hm, I’m going to run a quick scan on you. Stay still.”

There wasn’t any more talking after that. The scan was run and the Galra was busy looking at the readings. He tapped at the tablet in his hands a few times while he mumbled to himself. Then, without warning the guards came back and lifted him from the table.

“He needs a special diet. I sent the revisions ahead to the prisoners unit. He should be fine in a few days.”

That was it. The Shiro was dragged out and thrown in front of the cell before the restraints were undone and he was pushed back in.

The next time it was time for them to be fed, Shiro was given something different. He was skeptical at first, but it didn’t taste as bad as what he was given before and it sat well on his stomach. After a few days, he no longer felt the need to throw up. So it wasn’t a surprise that he was called to fight in the arena again.

He didn’t mind. It was better him then one of his fellow prisoners. When they fought they didn’t come back. They were too consumed by fear and too weak to fight well. Shiro had long ago learned that patience yields focus. From the beginning, he knew he needed to keep a level head. If he just rushed into battle he would be killed.

So even as he was circled by these weird tiger-like creatures, he stayed calm and watched their behavior. He kept his grip on the sword he assessed the situation. He had seen them in the fight before his. There was no way to escape without injury, but if he played his cards right he could live another day.

~.~.~.~.~

He has no way of keeping time. He’s not sure how long they had him, but it must have been a while. Galra from all parts of the Empire came to this outpost when they knew he was supposed to fight. There has never been a champion who has lasted longer than him. He knows better than to let it go to his head.

His fights have been against stronger and faster creatures, and it’s getting harder to not end up bleeding. The last fight left him with a nasty slash across his stomach. After the fight, the bleeding still hadn’t stopped. He had won, but he was still going to die.

He found himself back in the medical lab with the doctor he had last time. He doubts they knew enough about human anatomy to fix him. Despite that, he was stripped and laid out on the table. Straps were on his arms and legs to keep him in place, as if he would run. He was too light-headed from the blood loss to do that.

The doctor hovered over him with some device in his hand. Shiro started to feel his wound fusing back together. It was almost more painful than the initial injury. He grits his teeth as pain seared through the gash. His arms jerked to cover himself and his legs fought against the restraints as he tried to move away from the new source of pain.

“All done,” The Galra said and lowered the device. He was saying more, but Shiro was too delirious from the pain to listen. He was fighting to stay conscious, but in the end, he drifted away.

When he woke, the Lavender Galra was still there looking at something on one of the many screens. Shiro didn’t say anything at first. He stayed lying down as he got a feel for the room. He was still naked and laying on the metal table, but the restrains had been loosened, so he had a bit more mobility.

“You’re awake?” The Galra asked without turning around. “Good. We just finished patching up your wound. You should be well enough to return to your cell in a bit.”

Shiro huffed and rolled to sit up. He used his hands to cover himself. He had been stripped down before, but he still felt the need for modesty.

“My apologies.” The Galra got up and set a clean set of clothes next to him before he undid the straps around his ankle and his wrists. “You can put those on.”

Shiro got dressed slowly. His chest still hurt, but at least he wasn’t dying anymore.

“Do you still feel discomfort?”

Shiro nodded. He learned long ago that there were consequences for not answering questions.

“Stay there.” The doctor started going through the cabinets and came back with a jar of cream. “This is the only one that won’t eat your skin, but it will only provide temporary relief.” He said before his massive hand started to spread the cream over where his wound once was. It stung and tickle at first, but soon the pain started to fade. “Better?”

“Yes,” Shiro answered and continued getting dressed. It wasn’t long after until the guards came for him and dragged him back to his cell.

~.~.~.~.~

There was a commotion out there. Shiro could tell just from listening that there were more Galra at this fight than the last few ones. He must be fighting something big if there was this much excitement. On top of that, he was given a dull weapon. They must be tiring of him and were setting him up to be slaughtered.

When it was his turn he was shoved out into the arena and the guards jeered at him. They wished him luck. That was never a good sign. Last time that happened he had to fight what looked like some sort of bear, but was three times the size.

To his surprise, he was face to face with another prisoner. He recognized the garb that they had the other creature in. It was visibly scared as it held its weapon, and the crowd roared. So this is what they wanted. They wanted to watch as the helpless fought against each other for a chance to live another day. To what? Go back to their cells and wait for the next fight to amuse these people?

Shiro lowered his weapon and looked at the other creature as he told him, “I’m not going to fight you.”

“If someone doesn’t die they’ll kill us both.” The other prisoner replied. Its voice was gruff. It took a half step forward. Shiro didn’t move to raise his weapon though. He couldn’t do this.

“I won’t fight you.”

The other prisoner smiled at him, or at least he thinks it’s a smile. It spoke again. This time it spoke of its time here and how it didn’t wish to keep doing this. He wanted to rest, and maybe in the next life, he would be able to do something different and avoid this whole mess.

“What are you asking me?” Shiro didn’t want the answer. The arena was getting louder as the spectators demanded blood.

“Live another day.”

“I can’t…”

“Yes, you can.” It said.

“I don’t know where to strike you to make it quick,” Shiro amended. “I don’t want you to suffer.” He stepped forwards ignoring the hoots and hollers from the Galra. This wasn’t about putting on a show. He wanted to at least respect this creature’s last right.

“Right here,” It pointed to its midsection. “It should only take a few ticks if you strike me there.”

Shiro’s stomach twisted into a knot. He’d never gone out of his way to kill, not even in his time at the Arena. He wounded some severely and a few had died because he didn’t have the proper understanding of these creatures anatomy, but he had never killed on purpose. Now he was going to ease the creature of it’s suffering in a quick strike.

He could do this. It was to help someone. This wasn’t out of malicious intent. It wasn’t murder. It wasn’t survival. There was nothing selfish about this. But he couldn’t fight back the feeling that he was going to be sick.

“It’s alright.” The creature said. “Go ahead.”

A cry ripped from his throat as he put as much force as he could behind his weapon and slash clean through. There had been a brief silence from the crowd before they started to cheer. Shiro couldn’t hear them. He was more focused on the creature in front of him. It had collapsed in a heap. It wasn’t moving, and it wasn’t breathing. If it even needed to breathe, he wasn’t sure. The one thing he knew from looking at the way it laid in its own blood, was that it was definitely dead.

He threw up.

He felt sick. He was sick. His mind was still racing trying to catch up to the fact that he had killed this creature on purpose. He was shaking. He could barely breathe as he dropped to his knees. A month ago he thought he wasn’t capable of something like this, now he knew differently and he was scared of what he would turn into.

~.~.~.~.~

“You did good Champion,” The guard taunted as he was lead back to his cell. “I knew you were bloodthirsty since the moment you got here. I’d never seen anyone jump at the opportunity to fight the way you have.”

“It’s not like that.” Shiro sighed, realizing too late that he had spoken out of turn.

“What was that?” The Galra asked. This one was one of the guards that he had dealt with since the beginning. He didn’t know his name, he just knew that he was the biggest one here and the one most prone to violence.

Shiro shook his head. Maybe if he was lucky he would let it slide.

“Just because you managed a clean kill against some lowly prisoner you think you can talk any way you want to?”

“I’m sorry,” Shiro spoke up.

“No you aren’t,” It grabbed him around his neck with one big hand and pushed him against the bars of his cells. “Not yet.”

Shiro closed his eyes and braced for the impact of the hit. He knew it was coming. This guy had slapped around almost every prisoner, including him, a few time. But the hit never came.

“You know, you’re very pretty for whatever you are,” The guard sneered pressing himself closer to him. Just like that the whole atmosphere changed. He looked up at the grinning Galra and shivered. He has to be reading the situation wrong!

He was hiked up against the bars so he was eye level with the guard who looked amused at the way Shiro squirmed in his hold. His hand was pressed against his windpipe. It wasn’t enough to choke him, but it made it difficult to breathe. His feet struggled in air as they instinctively tried to find the ground. He only found relief when a hand cupped his bottom to hold him up.

There was a silence as he was held there. The other prisoners watched on from the back of their cells, terrified for what would happen next.

Shiro’s pants were pulled down and his head spun. This was not happening. This was not happening. But he had thought the same thing when he had been abducted.

“No,” His begged. “Please don’t.”

“Shhh,” The Galra soothed. “You’ll love it.”

A clawed hand held him around the middle so the other one could pull one of his buttocks aside so he could have better access. He squirmed and struggled, but the Galra just tightened his grip until he had trouble breathing.

“Keep that up and I’m going to pop you.”

Shiro stilled. He looked away from his abuser only to see the way the other prisoners watched on with pitiful eyes. He couldn’t take it. He looked at the ceiling as he felt the Galra entered him. It was smaller than he thought it would be: thin and a little short. It didn’t help him feel any less violated. He was shaking trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. Then it started to move and he could feel it starting to grow and swell inside of him.

The Galra laughed when he saw Shiro’s eyes widen in panic. There wasn’t anything he could do as he was stretched further and further until he was sure that he was going to be torn apart. The movements became more fluid as he was lubricated with what he was sure was blood. Pain curdled up his spine, causing him to arch his back and tighten around the Galra.

Each thrust became harder and faster. There was no care for his comfort, leaving each thrust feeling like a punch to the gut. He gasped in time with his attacker as he tried to catch his breath. He tried to move away on instinct, but the Galra just let out an animalistic groan. It leaned forward and put his teeth on the junction of his neck and shoulders. Shiro stilled when the points threatened to break his skin. He whimpered when he realized that all he could do was stay still and take the abuse.

This is what his life had become. He was nothing but a source of amusement to these things. His pain and suffering brought them pleasure, even something as vile as this. He was uncomfortably full and stretched in such a way it was humiliating. The pace was kicked up and became increasingly violent. He could no longer hold back the tears or the screams. The Galra laughed at him.

“Pathetic.” He kept shoving inside of him, branding his very being with this experience.

“Please stop,” He pleaded. “Please.” It hurt so bad. Then the teeth clamped down harder as the Galra became tense and came inside of him. Spurt after spurt collected inside him, hot and searing as he was filled past capacity.  Shiro’s eyes widened and he let out another sob when it finally pulled out and cum started to gush from his abused hole. The world fell away when he was dropped to the floor and fell back as the cell door was open and he was shoved inside with the other.

He lay on the floor unable to stop trembling. His mind was still processing, trying to catch up with what happened, and then denying it as he tried to make sense of it all. The other prisoners were watching him cautiously, not sure if they should approach him or not. He forced himself to get up and go back to the corner of the room that he spent most of his time in.

It took him a while to realize that he was bleeding from his shoulder as well as other places he didn’t want to think about. He pulled his pants back up. He sniffled and wiped his eyes. It was easier to lay himself on the floor to keep the weight off of where he was sore so he could try not to think about too much.

A blanket was draped over him. He nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned over to see who was doing it. The other prisoner jumped back, also startled.

“Thank you,” Shiro managed to say pulling the thin cloth closer to himself. He laid back down refusing to cry any more than he already had. Not that it matters. The others were just as scared and the Galra didn’t care what they did.

This was his life now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro meets Sendak and Hagar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if anyone is still reading this, but I decide to update early since I might be snowed in without power over the weekend. Hope ya like it.  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com) I have Uliro art there as well

Picking himself back up had never been so hard. Finding the motivation to keep going had never been so difficult. He didn’t have nearly enough time to recover before he was requested to fight again. He wondered what would happen if he resisted. He knows that there are a few guards here who wouldn’t mind using it as an excuse to kill him. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

So each day he ate and drank, and fought when he needed to. He wasn’t sure how many battles he had won, nor did he care. The Galra who passed through always wanted to congratulate him or jeer at him, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to make it to the next day. Who knows, maybe there was relief coming. He laughed at the idea. 

“What did you get yourself into this time?” The Lavender doctor asked. He had become Shiro’s favorite. He’d seen different doctors throughout his time here, but this one was always gentle. He wasn’t out to cause more pain than necessary.

“Something bit me,” Shiro said through the muzzle. Since their first encounter, the muzzle had yet to be removed during any of his visits. 

“I can see that,” Lavender sighed. He started to take off Shiro’s tunic before he went for the shirt. Shiro flinched back out of instinct. “The shirt is matted in pretty bad.” He stepped away and came back with a damp cloth to run over the wound. He hands were light as he managed to get the dry blood to lift enough for him to cut the shirt sleeve loose. 

“That’s pretty deep,” he tsked. He treated it similar to the way that he did the wound he had gotten on his chest, before adding salve and wrapping it. “It may take a few days for the soreness to go away.”

“Thanks.” He sighed cradling his arm back towards his body. 

“Is he going to be ready for the fight tomorrow?” The guard who had brought him in asked.

“No,” The Lavender one said. “He hurt his dominant arm. He’ll need a bit of rest before he can properly fight.”

“He’s made of some sturdy stuff.”

“It needs time to heal. The bite went all the way to the bone. There’s a small fracture. If it doesn’t heal right, well, I wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for the Emperor's favorite form of entertainment having to retire.”

Then Lavender said stuff like that and it reminded Shiro that he was like the others. At least his arm was wrapped and he would have a few days off from the arena. He was able to curl up in his corner and close his eyes for a bit. He hadn’t been sleeping well since he’d gotten here. Knowing he didn’t have to worry about getting dragged out gave him some peace of mind, and allowed him to relax.

But in the middle of him dozing he was dragged out. Apparently one of the head guys wanted to see him. He wasn’t sure what it could be about. He was well behaved. He didn’t break any of the rules, he hadn’t even lashed out at the guards recently. 

He was taken further into the ship than he had ever been. The colors of the walls and tiles were even a brighter shade of purple and a lot more inviting. Not that it was cheerful here. It was still dreary, but he thinks this is where the Galra onboard stays, like a section just for their living quarters. 

He was made to keep his head down, but he could still see how the Galra lounged around in what looked like some sort of common area. They were out of uniform and goofing around watching programs on screens and having casual conversation. It was a lot different than the cruel masters he had come to expect. Even weirder was when one of the doors at the end of the hallway was opened and he was pushed inside, being made to kneel.

Shiro was quiet. There was no use in asking why he was here. If he asked he would just be poked and teased until it was explained. He couldn’t do anything to avoid it, so he waited. Maybe there was going to be something here that was going to kill him. That would be nice. Then he could end his suffering. 

“You are quite the beauty,” A voice rumbled from above. He froze recognizing the voice. It was the same alien who had picked him up. Commander Sendak. “I’ve been watching you for quite some time now, and I must say, I’m glad I picked you up off that moon. You brought a great reputation to this little outpost. Even the Emperor looks forwards to your little bouts.”

Sendak was on the other side of the room as he spoke and slowly crossed the distance. He was behind Shiro now. He froze too scared to move. He was stuck in such a position with this predator behind him. A rough fur covered hand stroked down his back, claws lightly snagging the fabric of his prisoner garb.

“And I must admit it’s a pleasure to watch you move. I never imagined something of your size and kind,” he poked at Shiro’s sides amused by how delicate he was “could defeat as many as you have. I was sure you would be dead by now.” 

Sendak removed the gag from around his mouth, but Shiro knew that didn’t mean he could speak. He felt the weights on his legs coming off as the shackles were undone and then the arms. He stayed in place kneeled over, arms behind his back. It was uncomfortable, but he didn’t dare to move. 

Then, a hand was under his chin and urging him to sit up and look him in the eye. He was surprised to find that one was a cybernetic eye and that Sendak was fluffy. His ears went off to the side like a bat or a cat. If it wasn’t for that wolfish grin, he would almost be cute. 

“Deadly, but beautiful,” Sendak was close now. He started to rid Shiro of his tunic. “You would make a lovely bedside partner.” Sendak licked the side of his face as he got him out of the last of his clothes. Shiro shivered fighting back the disgust that was filling him. He didn’t want this, but he knows he can’t say no, and he knows he can’t escape. No matter how hard he fought he was still weak and small compared to these aliens.

Sendak rose to his feet, leaving Shiro in the middle of the room, shivering and nervous. He sat down in his chair, undoing his pants and pulling out his cock. Just like the guard who had taken advantage of him before, it started out short and thin. He stroked himself a few times, watching Shiro the whole time. His eyes roved over Shiro’s nude form in appreciation. 

“Come here,” Sendak ordered. Shiro started to stand. “No, crawl to me. Slowly.”

Shiro paused, moving to be on all fours and started forwards one step at a time. It was humiliating. Each bit towards Sendak felt worse than the last. Not to mention painful. His arm was supposed to be healing. He had to be careful when shifting his weight. But he finally found himself sitting between Sendak’s legs. He knew what was expected of him, but he couldn’t look up. He couldn’t move. Just anticipating what was going to happen left his chest tight with anxiety.

“You know what to do don’t you?” Sendak was amused. “Use your mouth.”

Shiro shook his head. Maybe if he thought he didn’t know what to do, he would be sent back to his cell.  Instead, Sendak’s hand encased the back of his head and pulled him closer until his cock was pressed against Shiro’s sealed lips.

“Come on,” He urged him in a soft tone, but gave his skull a squeeze in warning.

Shiro did as he was told and tried to ignore the intrusion. If he pretends it wasn’t happening, then maybe it would be like it didn’t. Instead, he was given a foul reminder when the taste of Sendak filled his mouth, and his musk filled his nose. He gagged on it, trying to fight back every instinct that made him want to throw up. 

“Oh my,” Sendak groaned. “Here I thought you were going to use your tongue.” He was in awe, and Shiro didn’t quite understand why. He was just doing what he was told.

“But you’re eager to show off your little tricks like in the arena eh?” Sendak stroked his cheek. Shiro was still confused. “You want it that badly?”

It didn’t take long for Sendak to start to grow in his mouth. He had to open his jaw wider each time Sendak pushed back in. Shiro didn’t do anything besides sit there and let himself be used. He didn’t want to help the process along and make the Galra think that he liked it. If he was difficult enough, they might not ask for him again. 

Sendak was patient with him. He smirked down at him as if he was waiting for Shiro to give in and keep going. He pulled his cock out letting it pat against Shiro’s face a few times before he went to put it back in. Shiro turned his face away this time.

“Don’t act stubborn now.” Sendak snarled once he realized that Shiro had no plans on cooperating anymore. “I’m sure that your companion might be more willing. I heard he was pretty timid.”

Shiro’s eyes widened as he realized who he meant.

“The smaller one who came in with you. He looked docile, like he would be easy to mold.”

Shiro felt his stomach sink. He had no idea where Matt was or if Sendak knew either, but with his rank, he didn’t doubt that he would be able to get to him if he really wanted to. It didn’t leave him with many options. It didn’t help that Sendak was smirking down at him, waiting for him to cave and do as he was told.

“I’ll do it,” Shiro said trying not to let his emotions show. 

“Do that thing with your mouth again. Make it good. If you’re lucky I’ll keep you for myself.” 

Shiro scowled taking the cock in his hand. Slowly and hesitantly he took it into his mouth and sucked gently. He’d never done something like this before. The best reference he had were those pornos he would watch when he had a few moments to himself to get off. He tried mimicking them, bobbing his head and hollowing his cheeks to add better suction. It must have worked because Sendak let out a low groan from above him.

A clawed hand came to rest on his head, pushing him further down. Shiro choked as Sendak kept expanding in his mouth and down his throat. He continued to struggle, but it only seemed to encourage the Galra. He snorted a short laugh as he watched Shiro try to push away so he could breathe. His lungs were starting to burn as he reflexively struggled for air. He pushed against Sendak as he started to panic. His cheeks turned red and he began to thrash trying to get away. Eventually, he released him.

“Stand up,” Sendak ordered lazily, but there was a strain in his voice. He was worked up and enjoying watching the way Shiro squirmed uncomfortably. “Straddle me.”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out where this was going. 

“Please, don’t make me.”

“I’m not going to make you,” Sendak cooed. “You’re going to do it willingly. Now, get up here.”

Shiro only stood there for a second or two, looking down at his feet. Sendak didn’t push him. He sat there waiting knowing that Shiro was weighing the pros and cons of the situation. If he walked away from this, then there was a chance that he would use his friend instead. So mournfully he moved closer, placing his hands on Sendak's shoulders as he straddled his lap trying to ignore how the Galra’s cock rubbed against his thigh.

His hands were shaking. He couldn’t help it. His whole body was tense as he anticipated what was to come next. He kept his gaze focused on the wall as Sendak groped at his ass.

“You’re so soft and squishy,” Sendak hummed in appreciation. “But not wet?” He seemed curious now as he stuck a finger inside. Shiro let out a small yelp. He expected it to hurt more than it did. With claws like those, there was no way that he wasn’t going to get torn apart, yet, right now all he felt was an uncomfortable pressure. 

“I take it the males of your species don’t self-lubricate. No bother.” He pumped his own cock a few times before his soaked fingers came back and pushed inside. Shiro grit his teeth, but it was a little easier, a bit less painful. He didn’t bother to voice his discomfort as one finger became two, and two became three. But then there was four and he had to grit his teeth to keep from crying out. It hurt so bad, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“If you relax, this will be a lot better for the both of us,” Sendak was lining himself up. The moist tip was pushing in slowly and steadily. He tried to steady his breathing, tried to relax so it was a little easier on him, but it did no good. He was too tense, too scared to be able to go limp.

The stretch went on forever. Each inch was excruciating, and he felt faint. Finally, it was all in. Sendak grabbed the back of his head and yanked him back so he could get a good view of his face while he whimpered and squirmed on his cock. He was so content with it he just left him like that, in pain and unable to find relief.

“Please, stop.” Shiro’s voice broke.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” Sendak put his hands on Shiro’s hips, lifted him effortlessly and brought him back down roughly. Shiro gasped, and his eyes watered. A brutal pace started that Shiro wasn’t able to keep up with. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes as he waited for it to be over.

Sendak was clearly enjoying himself. He closed his eyes and let his head tip back as he used Shiro like a toy: shamelessly taking his own pleasure with no regard for the other person’s well-being. And wasn’t that the point? This was just like the guards who beat him to humiliate him. It was nothing more than violence. But it was much more intimate, and extremely violating. 

Each thrust felt like a punch, but not just to his body, to something deeper inside of him. His body was quaking and shivering. He collapsed on the alien, finding it almost laughable that their heart rates were in sync. He always heard that lover’s heart become one during sex, both physically and emotionally. But this wasn’t love, this was just brutal dominance. 

He continued to be bounced on Sendak’s lap. He wrapped his arms around him to steady himself. He let out a broken sob when the pace picked up.

“You’re so tight,” Sendak growled gripping him tighter and moving Shiro faster as he thrust up into him. His own length was oozing and adding lubrication inside him, making each movement smoother. “And soft, and hot.”

Sendak was babbling as he got close to the end. Suddenly his body became stone and his hips jerked as he released. Shiro shivered as relief washed over him. Finally, it was over. He could go back to his cell and try to pretend that this never happened.

Sendak seemed to be enjoying how uncomfortable Shiro was. He took his time giving him a few more thrust before he pulled out and let his purple cum slop out of him. Shiro let out a cry. He was wide open and gaping. His thighs trembled as his body slumped in exhaustion, small cries escaping his lips.

“Who knew the Champion would be such a good lay.” Sendak was petting his hair like he was an animal he was trying to calm. “Maybe I should wash you and keep you here for the night.

“Please don’t,” he sniffed trying to pull himself together.

“Why not. I’m sure over time you would get used to it. It wouldn’t be long until you were begging for it. Can’t you imagine it,” Sendak looked at him with a wolfish grin. “You on your knees, waiting for me to come back from a day's work to knot you.”

“Knot me?” Shiro was confused. He wiped the tears and snot from his face, not sure what that phrase meant.

“We’ll work up to it. But trust me, once we get there you’ll love it.” He stood up, taking Shiro with him before placing him on the floor as he put himself back in his pants. He seemed to be ignoring the mess on the chair and floor. “Get dressed.”

Shiro was more than happy to do so. He feared that Sendak was going to go through with his idea to keep him overnight. Getting his clothes back on was a slow process. He lower half was sore. He felt nothing but sharp pain as he moved his legs to get back into his clothes. There was no way he would be able to fight well in the arena if he had a fight in the next few days. If he did there was no way that the pain wouldn’t hinder him. All it took was one slip up and he would die.

But honestly, with what Sendak had planned, maybe death was a better option. 

~.~.~.~.~

The other prisoners knew what was happening. They knew what it meant when the guards came for him on Sendak’s behalf. They knew what it meant when he was tossed back in the cell tousled and soiled. Sometimes he was still sticky with purple cum and unable to do anything about it. What was he going to do? Use his only water rations to wash up?

No. He was stuck in the corner marinating in Sendak. The only relief was that the other guards didn’t come around to bother him anymore. Apparently, he reeked of Sendak and was marked as his. It was unsettling, to say the least. Bad enough he had been abducted and made to fight for entertainment, now he was property. 

All the same, sore and tender he got up and fought. Each fight was becoming more of a blur. There were times when he couldn’t remember the way he had won. He knows he’s starting to have to kill more often than he liked. But what else was he to do? How else was he to stay alive?

“Your bloodlust is strong,” Sendak said as he was being brought back in from his last fight. He was panting, chest heaving and covered in blood. His hands trembled as his adrenaline high started to fade. He looked up at Sendak and shrank back when a huge hand ruffled his hair.

“You’re catching the attention of many. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing for you though. But it’s good for the Empire.”

“What does that mean?” Shiro learned that Sendak didn’t mind when he spoke out of turn. He found their conversations amusing and many times after he was done having his way with him, he would keep him around for an hour longer or so just to talk. 

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Sendak pats him on the cheek. “I’ll let you get some rest. You’re going to need it for what is to come.”

Shiro frowned. That wasn’t good.

He soon learned who Hagar was. She came to visit him once. He was pulled from his cell and down to see the medics. Lavender was there with someone else, an older woman with white hair that hung loosely from her hood. She was hunched over which made Shiro think she may be older. Her fingers were thin and boney like fragile elderly woman.

She was anything but.

She was talking with Lavender about his vitals and his performance in the arena since he got here. Lavender claimed he didn’t know much, only what was given to him in the file from the guard’s updates and the proctor's notes. 

“I’ve only treated him for his wounds and food poisoning,” Lavender explained. “I don’t know much more outside of those incidents.”

“You’ve never been to his matches?” The woman sounded as if she didn’t believe him.

“I’m afraid not. I’m usually tending to the injured who are coming from the arena when he’s fighting. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing him in action.”

“He’s stronger than we once thought, that’s for sure. He was just going to be bait at first, but he fights and kills with a ferocity akin to our own. He would make a great contribution to our Empire.”

“I doubt he’ll fight for us after all we’ve done.”

“Once he sees the greatness of the Empire and what we can do for him, I’m sure he’ll join. If not willingly, then otherwise.”

“He did have a translator chip installed. He can understand us,” Lavender pointed out.

“It makes no difference.”

Shiro kept his head high as he sat on the examining table. His hands were cuffed together and those cuffs were attached to the table. They didn’t seem too concerned with if he could break out or not. Which he couldn’t. Not now. He was too fatigued. But he was taking the time to look around the room and get a better idea of his surroundings. 

The room wasn’t anything akin to a square or a rectangle. It was more of an elliptical semi-sphere. Everything was a shade of red-violet. It would have been soothing if he wasn’t being held captive. It gave everything an eerie glow. The control councils beeped and chirped softly along with the monitors that glowed through the dreary lights.

The only bright place in the room was where he was sitting. There was a spotlight on him so that he could be seen better. He looked down at himself not surprised by the few scars that he had. The one across his chest was a little pinkish and raised off the surface of his skin. He had smaller lighter ones that littered his arms from when he didn’t anticipate a blow fast enough. He sighed looking back over at the pairs of “doctors” who were still talking.

“I want to put him through one more trial before we decide anything.” 

“Are you sure Lady Hagar?” Lavender asked. “He’s already proven himself many times. There’s no need to put him through another unnecessary round.”

“Are you questioning my authority?”

“I’m merely advising. Only three of his kind were captured and he’s the only one who showed any kind of potential. The next few stages will be trying. We don’t need to inflict any more damage than necessary. “

“You are better informed than I would assume.” Hagar clicked. “But you’re right. We’ll start the process of turning him soon.”

“I’ll let the guard know to take the extra measures needed.” Lavender nodded.

“Yes,” Hagar’s nose crinkled. “Have Commander Sendak come here. I need to speak to him.”

Shiro shivered from his spot. Why did they need Sendak? He was never called in for any of his other medical exams. There was no reason to…

“You called Madame,” Sendak stood tall and at attention when he spoke to the woman. 

“Yes, I did.” She clucked. Shiro didn’t know what her species was but he knew that the sound she was making didn’t mean she was happy. Most times he had heard it had been in the arena before he was attacked by whatever beast had been lined up for him to fight. “I’ve been aware of your…relations with the Champion for quite some time now.” She paused giving him time to respond as she circled him.

“I-I see.” He avoided her gaze. It was almost funny watching someone as big as him scared of a fragile elderly woman.

“It needs to end,” Hagar said simply as she came to stand in front of Sendak.

“I understand.” Sendak tried to keep the lament out of his voice as he gave one last glance at Shiro and failed.

“Don’t pout. It’s unbecoming of a soldier of your prestige.” Hagar snapped. Sendak's ears went back, he was clearly startled. “But,” Hagar continued. “You have been doing many great things for the Empire. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed. For this, I can grant you one last night with him. After that, if you wish for his company you must ask Ulaz or me directly.” She pointed to Lavender to indicate who the other person was.

Sendak delighted at this knowledge. 

“Thank you, Madame. I will make sure to follow procedure next time.”

Ulaz, the name of the Lavender one, seemed to frown at this. But he said nothing against what Hagar proposed. 

“Vrepit sal,” Hagar gave a verbal salute.

“Vrepit sal,” Sendak said back. He went to leave, but first, he turned to Ulaz. “Let me know when I can take him tonight?”

“I’m not sure if that is wise,” Ulaz spoke up. “With what we plan to do…”

“It doesn’t matter.” Hagar cut him off. “We’re still waiting on a few more parts. It may be a few cycles before we can start to put him to use. Just let the guards know to bring him to you when you’re done with him.” 

Sendak nodded before leaving the room, trying and failing not to look eager.

“It’s a shame, but a blessing.” Hagar sighed. “At least now we have a treat to dangle in front of him. He was starting to become distracted.”

“Lust makes men do crazy things.” Ulaz agreed. “Though I’m not sure if the Champion should be used as bait. It might skew our readings if he’s…”

“It won’t be a significant difference,”  Hagar assured him almost like a mother soothing a child. “I was told that you were a true scientist when it came to these kinds of things, but you don’t need to worry too much about the small things. I’m going to show you a whole new perspective that you didn’t even know was possible.”

“I look forward to it.” He nodded to her with respect.

“Now, let’s get his baseline reading so we can let Sendak have his fun.”

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop a comment, let me know what you think.  
> More coming soon.  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com) I have Uliro art there as well


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Experimentation begins as they try to mold Shiro into what they want him to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand we're a little over halfway done. It's gonna get worse before it gets better.   
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com) I have Voltron art there as well ^^

Shiro no longer tried to hold back his screams and wails of pain. The initial penetration always hurt: felt like he was going to be split apart. At some points, he would quiet as he felt himself go numb and his mind start to wander. It was the only way for him to stay sane. He would drift off and soon Sendak thrusting inside of him just became a weird sensation that made him rock in space. 

It was particularly hard to do today. Sendak was being brutal. He growled and snarled over Shiro as he used him. It was intimidating and left him wanting to curl up in on himself. But he couldn’t. Sendak took him back to his private quarters and had Shiro face down ass up on a pile of furs that must be some kind of bed. 

His body never got used to Sendak’s girth, but prep becomes easier as time went on. Sendak had made him watch this time around. To Shiro’s surprise, it turns out that those claws retract, which was the only reason why he wasn’t torn and shredded on the inside. 

Not that it did much for his comfort. He still found himself on his hands and knees, eyes tightly shut as he waited for it to be over.

“I’m gonna give you something special,” Sendak snarled from above him. One hand was on Shiro’s hip to hold him in place, the other was keeping a tight grip on the bed of furs. He let out another growl that sounded closer to a roar.

“Get ready.”

Shiro didn’t even know what that meant. He stayed limp, letting Sendak rock his body. Then, there was a pause as something more tried to push inside. It was larger and round, and it hurt more than anything else Sendak had done to him at this point.

“What are you…what is that?” He gasped and tried to crawl away. “It’s not gonna fit.” 

“That’s my knot,” Sendak sounded proud of himself. Both of his hands held Shiro in place so he couldn’t escape. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it fit” He continued to press on, only being helped along by what Shiro thinks is the natural lubricant that Sendak’s cock secretes.

“If you relax it will make it easier on you.” 

Shiro could have laughed at that. It sounded like Sendak was trying to be soothing. He was stroking his sides and gently cooing as he got more and more of his knot inside. It went on forever. Shiro was sure he was going to tear. He let out a sob as he attempted to crawl away. He knew better than to disobey, but he was in so much pain, he had to get away from it.

He didn’t expect what came next. Sendak lunged forwards and sank his teeth into Shiro’s shoulder. He let out a shriek and struggled before Sendak gripped him tighter. He went still realizing the situation he was in and what was being threatened. 

His shoulder hurt. His back was sore, and his ass throbbed. All he could do was cry pitifully as Sendak finally drove completely inside of him. His eyes rolled in the back of his head as Sendak gave his last few thrusts and filled him. Sendak made a weird noise above him. It sounded something like a mewl or chirp a house cat would make.

He laughed despite himself. It was kind of funny. Sendak was this huge warrior, but he made sounds like a kitten. It was the funniest thing to happen since he’d been abducted. He kept giggling despite himself.

“What’s so funny?” Sendak asked. He was panting and licking the bleeding wound on Shiro’s shoulder. 

“Nothing.” He shifted uncomfortably as Sendak smothered him with his weight until he was belly down on the furs. 

“Hmm,” Sendak kept licking his neck and eventually his hair. Was he grooming him? “It’s a shame Hagar has taken an interest in you. I’ll get to see you less. Who knows what she’ll turn you into.” He sounded mournful. 

“Turn me into?”

“No point in worrying about it,” Sendak’s knot had softened and he was slowly pulling out before he laid down next to Shiro. He started to pet through Shiro’s hair. It had started to get longer during his stay here.

“Let’s get you cleaned up and fed,” Sendak sat up pulling Shiro into his arms. “The night is still young.” 

Shiro was sat in a tub of warm water and gently lathered. It was nice. He can’t remember the last time that he had been able to bathe. Sendak took the time to wipe all the grime and dirt off of him. He even washed his hair, tipping his head back for the water to roll over his head and off his shoulders. 

He was patted dry and wrapped in a towel. He didn’t get it. He didn’t understand why Sendak was acting differently today than he had all the other days. He sat still, his hair was trimmed and styled back to the way it was when he was first captured. His facial hair was also trimmed until his face was smooth. He was deposited back on the furs that seemed to have been changed out or cleaned off. Shiro didn’t pay it much mind. He just sat down awaiting directions. 

A soft blanket was draped around his shoulders and a hand was pushing against his side, encouraging him to lay down. He did. He wasn’t sure what was to come next, but he was hoping he could rest his aching limbs. Sendak draped himself on top of him letting out a low growl like noise that vibrated through his chest.

Is he purring?

He didn’t get it. What kind of twisted affection was this supposed to be? Sendak was licking the top of his head in slow grooming motions. There was a silence between them, and Shiro allowed himself to let his eyes drift close as exhaustion swept over him. Between the battles, and test, and having to entertain Sendak, his body was at its limit. The bath and grooming only helped him to realize it.

“You’re so small and soft.” Sendak murmured against him. His hands were petting down his side. “I rather keep you as my own than as a Gladiator or an experiment of Hagar’s.” He nuzzled Shiro’s neck. “I would keep you here, in my bed, fed and well kept. Wouldn’t you prefer it?” 

Shiro blinked up at those mismatch eyes, not sure if he was supposed to respond to that or not.

“Wouldn’t you?”

“I’m not sure.” Shiro croaked. 

“You would come to love it,” Sendak assured him. “Once you stop fighting it, I can be quite gentle. You’ll crave me, want me and be more than happy in my presence. I could make your existence bearable.”

“I’m not…”

“I can tell you’re miserable here, but there’s no way to get you home. You have to find a way to be happy here if you want to survive.”

Shiro looked away. He didn’t want to talk about this. Not with Sendak. He didn’t get the point of this conversation. Were they trying to wear him down mentally? Because they already did that. He didn’t have much left in him. He knew he wouldn’t last more than a year here, and that death was inevitable. At first, he thought it would be in the arena, now he thinks it may be in the hands of Hagar. 

“If I’m lucky Hagar will bore of you and you’ll be free for the taking.” Sendak’s eyes became half lidded. “You would make a lovely prize.”

~.~.~.~.~

Haxus doesn’t like Shiro. That much was clear. Whenever he had to collect Shiro to bring him to and from Sendak’s room there was always some form of cruelty that took place. It wasn’t the same kind of taunting that he was used to from the other guards who like pushing him around just to show their dominance. This was personal. A backhand to the face would send him flying, a kick to the ribs left him sprawled on the floor, or he would get a hand around the neck and would be made to beg for air.

But that was the least of his worries.

He was more concerned about Hagar. She was the evil mad scientist that his Saturday morning cartoons had warned him about. There was no time that he went to her and didn’t come back in pain. She used a mix of medical procedure and magic. He would be strapped down as these weird cloaked and mask figured worked on him. He learned they were called Druids.  

He didn’t remember much from his time with Hagar most days. All he could recall was pain surging from his head to his toes. Hagar’s voice was a faint string of clicks and snarls in the back of his mind. She was the one giving the orders. Ulaz was with her, and there were a few more Galra there for security reasons, and the Druids were in charge of everything else.

Hagar would always stand over him when they were done. She would grin and assure him that he was going to become something so great that he would be the pride of the Empire. He was then taken to his cell. He was no longer housed with the other prisoners. He got a room. It was nothing but four metal walls, a cot, and a toilet. There was a light in the ceiling that bathed the room in purple. 

It left him alone when they weren’t experimenting on them. 

Right now the room was spinning. He tried to move his arms and found that he was still strapped to the table. He hurt. He hurt all over. He felt like he had been cut open and his insides had been moved around. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he does remember the druids hands in him trying to figure out what was what. He also remembers screaming through the beginning of it before he passed out. 

“Easy,” Ulaz’s hand was on his shoulder. “We just finished patching you back up.”

“What did you do to me,” He slurred. His head felt clouded and heavy.

“I don’t think you want to know.” Ulaz was undoing the binds on his arms and chest. It helped to take the pressure off. Shiro watched him. He wasn’t sure what to make of Ulaz. He’d been in his care since he came to this place. He had been the one to heal some of his worst wounds. And he thinks this is also one of the doctors he bit. He can’t be sure, he’s bitten a few.

But things were getting worse here as the days went on. And Ulaz seemed to be the one who let his guard down around him the most. He was quick to undo restraints or to turn his back on him. Maybe it was a cocky show of power because he knew even with an advantage that Shiro wouldn’t be able to do anything. Either way, it could work to his advantage. 

Ulaz started to undo the straps on his feet, still babbling about how he needs to rest for a little bit. The first leg was free and soon the second. Shiro took a deep breath before landing a kick right in the center of Ulaz’s chest sending him stumbling back a few steps. He hissed in pain. No, he really hissed! His ears went back, and his eyes turned to little yellow slits as he showed all of his teeth.

Shiro had seen tougher. He went to kick him again but his foot was caught. His body screamed in protest and his head felt like there was a nail going through it as he sat up to land a punch in the middle of his purple face. His hand was caught and Ulaz used his weight to pin him back down to the table. 

“I’m trying not to hurt you,” Ulaz warned. “You’ve undergone a procedure that is very strenuous on the body. You need your rest.” He was holding Shiro down very easily since he was in a weakened state. Shiro’s limbs were like Jell-o after that initial burst of strength. It didn’t take much to have him back on the table.

“Rest now,” Ulaz got off of him. “You have many long days ahead of you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shiro croaked. He settled down. His head and his body felt heavy with exhaustion.

“They plan on making you fight again, very soon. Hagar wishes to see if her experiments worked.” 

“What is she trying to do to me?” He was attempting to get up again, but was soon covered by a thin cloth as Ulaz put a blanket over him.

“I’m not allowed to say.” Ulaz went back to his screen plugging in information. 

“Why not?”

“It would skew the results if you were prepared for what you were going to face,” Ulaz said simply.

Oh yeah. He was the one who was against letting Sendak take him because it would mess up the results. It must be his way of keeping his variables in order. Maybe all this talk of rest and even the blanket was just his way of trying to keep Shiro at ambient levels rather than him trying to be nice. Still, he could use this to his advantage at some point.

“Can I keep the blanket?” Shiro asked, testing the waters. “When I go back to my cell I’m always cold.”

“No one would object to it,” Ulaz said. 

There was nothing but silence after that Ulaz insisted that he rest under observation for a short time before he was brought back to his cell. Not that he was in a rush to get back. Even though Ulaz was Galra, it was nice to have some form of company and to be in the presence of another living thing. He was going to go mad in that cell, not that anyone here cared about that. 

“You’ll be getting extra rations the next few days, and I’ll be checking in to make sure everything is healing the right way,” Ulaz informed him before they parted ways. “Make sure you rest.” He said again. His face was stern as if he was trying to communicate something important. 

Shiro had no choice than to take it easy. His body was letting him know what had been done to him in the form of pain. His abdomen hurt. It was a bone-deep throb that left him gritting his teeth and trying not to make noise.  

Haxus had been made one of his guards at some point. He’s not sure who’s idea that was, but it happened. Haxus kept “checking in” during his shift. He would poke at him, which wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t suffering so much. Even when Haxus wasn’t in the cell, he would tap loudly on the outside of the door, sometimes he even dragged his nails against the metal until it squeaked.

Ulaz showed up like he promised and gave Shiro some pain medication to take the edge off. It left Shiro sleepy. He found a comfortable position on his small cot and fell asleep.

~.~.~.~.~

By the time his next battle came around he was more or less healed. The pain was nothing more than a dull throb: something he could ignore. He could hear the crowd just outside the entrance for the combatants. He was used to the dull roar and the screams of the fighters before him while he sat shackled to the floor waiting his turn.

This time was a bit different. There was an announcer talking before he was to go out. He was announcing the return of the undefeated champion. That must be him. He was hastily unchained and handed his weapon as he stepped into the arena. The crowd cheered the loudest they’ve ever had for him.  It wasn’t helping the headache that had yet to fade.

The announcer was taunting him about being ready for his next fight and whatever they plan to throw at him. He just rolled his shoulders and stayed on his guard making sure to keep his footing light. Nothing had popped up yet, but he needed to ready for when his opponent entered. 

Again the was a chore of cheers when the next person entered. From what it looked like, it was another prisoner rather than a monster or one of the Galra’s fighters. It was a woman, or Shiro is pretty sure it was a woman. She was dressed in rags, but he could make out that she was scaly like a lizard. She looked frantic and frail. She clearly wasn’t one of the usual fighters. She scrambled and fumbled to get her weapon properly in her hand.

The crowd laughed when she dropped it and had to pick it back up. Her problem was that she was trying to use a two-handed sword with one hand. Shiro found it odd. Normally instinct would take over. She should have adjusted her grip by now. 

He took a few steps closer trying to get a better idea of what the situation was.

“Stay back,” She waved the sword and gave it a shaking swing in warning. She almost lost her grip again, but recovered. Her other arm was at her back like she was holding something behind her. 

“Mom, what’s happening?”

Shiro blinked realizing that she was trying to keep her young behind her and use herself as a shield.

“Stay behind me. It’s okay. Stay behind me.” Her voice shook and she let out a helpless noise of distress. Probably her species form of crying,

Did the Galra really expect him to fight her? There was no way. Even if it meant his own death, there was no way he could do this.

“I’m not going to fight you,” He said dropping his weapon. He put his hands up to show that he wasn’t going to do anything to her. “I’m not going to fight you.”

The crowd booed. They wanted blood.

The woman looked at him confused. 

“If you have to,” He motioned to his neck. “Cut clean across. I won’t stop you.”

She made another noise of distress.

“It’s okay. Just do it and get your kid out of here. Let him live another day.”

The Galra bored of what was happening. Sendak stepped forth. He looked all too pleased to be here. 

“This is your last chance Champion.” His voice sounded over the crowd. It must be being amplified somehow. Shiro took a look around the arena noticing the small drones floating around. He also noticed that what they were viewing was projected onto the screen above him, like in a sports stadium. 

It kind of reminded him of the time he took Keith to that Hockey game for his birthday. The seats weren’t that good if you wanted to watch the action live, but they at least had a seat that had a good view of the screens. Keith had seemed to enjoy it. He wonders what he’s been up to since he’s been gone.

“Kill them or suffer the consequences,” Sendak warned, “And I’m very sure you won’t be able to take it.”

“I’m not going to hurt her,” Shiro said again. “I’ll accept your punishment.” The sight of Sendak still made him weary. All he could think about were the things that transpire between them when they were alone, but he stood tall and unwavering. He couldn’t show weakness here if he wanted to get out alive. There was no telling what they had planned for him next, if he let his guard down for a second he could succumb to their attack.

“Guards,” Sendak made a vague gesture with his hand. Shiro was seized by the guards who normally dragged him out of the arena. He was forced to his knees and held in place. This wasn’t anything that bothered him. If they were finally going to kill him then he wouldn’t object. It felt like an eternity since he’d gotten here, and he wasn’t looking forward to what the next day may hold.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Sendak snapped his finger. There was a loud creaking noise from across the arena. A gate was lifting. It was the gate that the monsters came through. What did emerge was some sort of dragon looking thing.  There were catch poles all down its neck as the guards struggled to hold it in place and guide it to where it was supposed to go. It was almost amazing to watch as so many smaller creatures kept control of such a massive beast. It was no wonder they managed to take over most of the known universe. 

Its head was brought down and its mouth was pried open.

“Now it looks like no one plans on drawing first blood, so we’re gonna have to do it ourselves.” Sendak tsked. 

“What are you going to do?” Shiro kept his eyes on him the whole time.

“You’ll see.” 

It wasn’t until the woman screamed that he realized that she had been grabbed by the guards as well. She let out a shrill cry as she was separated from her child. They were both crying, tentacle-like hands were reaching out to each other. The kid was chirping pitifully, kicking at his captures as he tried to lunge forward to get back to his mother.

“Neither of you are capable of killing the other, for some reason,” Sendak cut Shiro a look. “But blood must be shed during this match. The fans demand it!”

The crowd cheered. There was an energy about it that Shiro didn’t like. They knew what was to come next. And if they were excited about it, then it can’t be good.

Sendak grabbed the child by the back of its collar. It squealed and squirmed as it continued to cry. It didn’t take much to figure out where this was going. Sendak was approaching the beast. It hissed and snarled and the child started to brawl reaching for its mother who was in an equal amount of distress on the monster opened its mouth

Shiro couldn’t break the grip they had on him.

“I want him to watch this,” Sendak said holding the child up to the mouth of the monster. “You think you spare people when you don’t kill them here. But that’s not the case.”

“Wait, don’t,” Shiro tried to shake his arms free. “I’ll do what you want just don’t…”

“It’s too late for that.” Sendak wasn’t looking at him while the monster opened its mouth. He was more pleased by the terrified squeals coming from the child as it started to cry and kick and hold on tighter to Sendak. The mother was screaming too, begging for her child’s life. Of course, Sendak didn’t care.

Shiro closed his eyes. There was nothing he could do to stop this. He didn’t want to see he didn’t…

“Ahh!” Electricity shot up his back when the guard shocked him. 

“You’re gonna watch this,” one of the guards sneered holding Shiro’s head so he couldn’t move. “Don’t even blink.”

He didn’t. He could only watch in horror as the child was dangled in front of the beast as a snack. Shiro was shaking. He couldn’t pull away. Sendak was saying something to him, but all he could hear was the woman and child screaming. Then the beast bit down on the child’s legs and it let out a piercing scream. The world seemed to come back at that point and all Shiro could really process was that this child was being eaten alive in front of him, slowly, and this crowd was cheering for it!

A mother was pleading for her child’s life and these things found it amusing. Shiro shook as he watched the poor kid being slowly chewed. He was still half out of the mouth, but he no longer held on to Sendak. He just screamed, unable to process the pain he was in, unknowing as to why he was being made to suffer this way. His screaming stopped once his lungs were punctured and he started to make gurgling noises instead. He went still, blood and guts oozed from where his body met the beast mouth. Shiro thought he was dead until the thing got to its throat and he made one last squawk before his head rolled away from his body after a sickening snap  

The crowd was riled and the woman no longer had tears. She slumped in the guards hold and sobbed quietly.

“What do you think Champion?” Sendak looked back smug and proud.

“You had your fun now lets us go,” Shiro said. He tried to keep his voice steady, but it quivered and broke.

“We’re just getting started!” Sendak cheered and the audience responded. The woman was dragged to her feet. She screamed and kicked as she was brought closer to the beast, and all Shiro was able to do was watch in horror. It was the same thing as the child. The woman was slowly and torturously fed to the monster. Blood bubbled up from her mouth and her eyes became misty and unfocused from the pain.  

When it was over he couldn’t find the words to describe the chill of terror the filled him from his toes to his fingers. He was next. They were going to feed him to that thing next. 

“Have you learned your lesson Champion?” Sendak kneeled in front of him with a taunting grin.

“Yes,” Shiro nodded.

“The next time we bring you something to kill. You kill it.”

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part is in Ulaz pov so stayed tuned.  
> Drop a comment if you liked this fic so far! I live on comments ^^  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com) I have Voltron art there as well


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulaz starts to get too close to Shiro and it's compromising his ability to do his job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we finally get Ulaz's point of view in all this! Woot! I hope you enjoy ^^  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com) I have Voltron art there as well ^^

Ulaz grimaced when the Champion was brought to him. He heard of what they had planned and he knew that he would be dealing with the shell of a man that the Champion once was. It appeared he was right. The Champion was thrown into his medical room naked and bloody. His face was so swollen his eyes weren’t open. He was having difficulty breathing.

He had to stop the bleeding first. He had cuts and gashes in many places. By the time he was done patching the poor guy up and fixing broken bones, it was a miracle he was still alive. There wasn’t much he could do for the swelling and bruising that would have to go down on its own.

Ulaz thinks the Champion is unconscious. He hasn’t responded to his touch. He frowned at this. He was still breathing so that was a good sign. He would give him a little while longer before he attempted to get all the dirt and gunk off of him.

The door slid open again and Hagar came through with two druids at her side.

“How did the arena go?” She asked before he could give a proper greeting.

“I wasn’t informed that you had signed off on such a ritual.” Ulaz started to explain. “What kind of results are we expecting from it?”

“I need him to break mentally. He acts like he’s given up, but there’s still a bit of a spark there. Best to snuff it out rather than let it to its own devices, don’t you think?”

“Yes, but such methods…” He looked down at the champion, who still had the semen of other Galra Officers in his hair. “There could be other ways.”

“Public humiliation will have a devastating effect on him, and it keeps morale up. I’ve never seen those guards more thankful to the Empire until now.” Hagar clicked. She sounded irritated by the last part.

Ulaz couldn’t push the subject any further. He didn’t want to draw more attention to himself than need be. It was bad enough that Hagar had picked him from the rest to be her assistant. In a way, it was a blessing. He was closer to the information and was able to give more detailed reports back to base, but it also means that he stuck out in some way. Everything Hagar did was deliberate.

“Is it okay if I wash him before I start to take readings?” Ulaz asked. “Even with gloves on it’s a bit…disgusting.”

Hagar chuckled at that. “Rinse him down if you need to. I’ll be back tomorrow to see what he’s like and then we’ll discuss proceeding from there” She didn’t say goodbye as she left.

Ulaz sighed in relief once she was gone. That old woman always freaked him out. There was something about her that was unsettling. But he had other things to deal with. He slipped on one of his doctor coats and a new pair of gloves before he took the Champion into his arms and brought him to one of the showers. He gently set him on the floor and kneeled next to him.

It was easier to use the detachable shower head to wash the Champion down. He was careful not to get water into any of his air passageways or his ears. He shook his head. He understood why Hagar had approved the methods that they used. He knew that this continued abuse would break this man at some point, he also hoped that this all would be over before it got to that point.

Not that it would happen, but he could hope. Or at least he could be put on a different assignment. He’d been here so long, running experiments and patching up the wounded just to send them back out their death, that he was starting to become numb to it all. If he didn’t learn to bury his emotions, he wouldn’t last here. But it’s that what made him who he was: his emotions and his capacity to feel empathy. He couldn’t keep going day to day knowing he was the cause of so much pain.

But the ends were worth the means, right?

The Champion let out a groan as he started to wake up. He sat up panicked and frightened as he back away from Ulaz’s touch.

“It’s okay,” Ulaz tried to sound soothing. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just washing you.” He knows he had to say what he was doing because the Champion couldn’t see past his own swollen flesh. The creature before him shivered and whimpered.

“Stay still,” Ulaz ordered trying to use one of the sponges to wipe him down. “I know it hurts but it will be over in a minute.” He tried to be as gentle as possible when he cleaned him. He hated this part of the job. He hated to watch as other creatures feared him and became too broken to protest their mistreatment.

“I’m Ulaz,” He said softly. “I’m the doctor who treated you before.” He’s crossing dangerous territory, he knows it, but he had to do something to make this a little bit better.

“I know,” the Champion bit back.

“I’m only here to clean you right now. Nothing more.” Ulaz continued his work. He made sure to pat him dry before getting some clothes on him. It was nothing more than a loose smock that covered what was necessary, but it was only because Ulaz was worried that some of the Champion’s injuries might not be done swelling. He didn’t want anything constricting him if that was the case.

He brought the Champion back to the lab and sat him down on the medical table with the cushion. From there he was able to do the routine check that was expected of him.

“You’re going to be just fine,” Ulaz told him. The Champion laid lifelessly on the table. He didn’t respond to what he was saying. “I managed to mend all of your bigger wounds. I’ll suggest that you don’t fight for some time to make sure you heal completely.”

The Champion still said nothing. Ulaz sighed and put a blanket over his stilled form. He must be asleep.

“I know it seems hopeless right now, but you’re strong you’ll get through this,” Ulaz said quietly as he looked down at the sad creature.

“What do they want from me?” The Champion spoke, his voice wavered and sore. “How do I make this stop?”

Ulaz looked around. It was one of the few times they were truly alone. No druids, no guards no Hagar…

“They want to make you a weapon,” Ulaz said. “They want to break you and rebuild you so you’re a killing machine and help them take over the universe.”

“Why? Why me?”

“I’m not sure. You stuck out when you fought in the arena.” Ulaz went on. He can’t do anything to stop the experiments, but if he was aware of what they’re trying to do, it would give him a better chance of resisting their influence.

“Why are you telling me this?” The Champion’s tone was accusatory.

“You asked. And I know you wouldn’t think it from being here, but not all Galra want to be a part of this. Our Emperor does not speak for the masses. I don’t like what I do, but I don’t get much of a choice.”

The Champion nodded sleepily. He must be too out of it to make sense of what Ulaz was saying.

“You’re trapped here too?” The Champion asked.

“In a way. I certainly can’t leave. The Empire is vast. Those who deflect are found eventually.”

“Have you ever tried to run?”

“I’ve seen what has happened to those who try.”

The Champion sighed. His body was still tense and his voice was still strained.

“I need to get back home,” He mumbled despite the warning. “I need to get home and warn them”

~.~.~.~.~

“What good will adding a cybernetic do?” Ulaz asked. “What improvements are you hoping to see?”

“Overall,” Hagar clicked.

“He hasn’t quite responded to the conditioning yet.” Ulaz cautioned. “Giving him a weapon may cause trouble for the guards.”

“We have measures so he won’t be able to activate it unless we want him to,” Hagar explained. “It will take some time though. Keep him fed, and keep him fighting. I need him healthy for this to be a success.”

“Yes Madam.”

Ulaz wasn’t sure what to do from here. He wanted to let the Champion keep his arm. There wasn’t much else he could prevent when it came down to his treatment here, but he was hoping that this was the one thing he could prevent. But Hagar was dead set on it. She already had the designs laid out.

It was also concerning because, in order for it to work, the arm would need a direct path to his nervous system. There was no telling what she would have him do once it was activated. It was only concerning because he could see the Champion changing. He’s not sure what he said to him to light a fire back under him, but he was back to being a handful again.

He was always dragged in, cuffed and muzzled, and at least one of the guards would complain of injuries. He was still undefeated in the Arena. He had slain many beasts and the occasional prisoner. He could always hear the others on the ship talking about how quick and accurate his kills were. Even against mass groups he somehow found a way to outsmart and survive.

“Congratulations,” Hagar would pat the Champion on the head after a successful run. “You fought well. You killed well.”

“It’s not like I had much of a choice,” the Champion spat back. His mouth was still muzzled so the words were a little muffled but still heard. Hagar chuckled at him. She was amused by his struggle to remain who he was and was more than ready to see him break. She had mentioned it a few times.

“Now then. Let’s get you patched up and fed. You won’t be going to the Arena tomorrow. You’ll be spending all day with me.”

As much as the Champion tried to hide it, he cringed. Hagar’s sessions tend to involve magic. She had been trying to find a way to change him from the inside out. It would supplement the psychological torture, and help make him easier to mold. But now that he knew what they were doing, he seemed to think his way through a bit more. He was watching for what they may be using to influence him and how to keep his sanity.

Ulaz had to commend him for that. He’s lasted the longest out of anyone to become one of Hagar’s projects.

“Don’t look so down Champion. When it’s all over, you’ll be thankful that we found you.” She pats him on the cheek.

“It’s Shiro,” The Champion snapped. “My name is Shiro.”

Hagar frowned at this announcement, “On second thought. Let’s go ahead and get started today. No need to wait. Ulaz, have him prepped.”

~.~.~.~.~

“I think he may be a good asset Kolivan.” Ulaz kept his voice low. He was in his own quarters and he thoroughly kept a lookout for spying devices, but he could never be too careful. He was met with silence from the other end. He took it as a sign to continue on. “They’ve tracked the Blue Lion’s energy signal to his galaxy. I’m sure Sendak was close to finding it when he abducted him. “

“That’s all.”

“He’s a fighter. I know he could be crucial in securing the Blue Lion. From what I can tell, his planet hasn’t made contact with any other life forms. We would need some sort of liaison. If anything, to at least get us to where we need to go without disrupting the locals.”

“I know you really want to do this Ulaz, but we can’t risk your position at this time,” Kolivan said. “Continue on as previously discussed.”

“Yes, sir.” Ulaz sighed once the communication was cut. It had taken nearly three movements for Kolivan to receive his message to communicate through video chat. Then another five quintant to hear confirmation that he had to wait a whole phoeb for it to actually happen. All this just to be turned down. He understands why Kolivan said no. He just wished there was a way to make it so that saving Shiro was a priority and relevant to their mission.

He just didn’t want to see Shiro succumb to Hagar and Zarkon and the Empire. He could only imagine the kind of killing machine Shiro would become. Normally he wouldn’t put his neck out like this, but Shiro was a fighter. Shiro was trying so hard to hold out.

And the squishy thing was starting to grow on him. They didn’t talk much, but they’ve had a few quips here and there. Shiro could be chatty on some days. It was to be expected. Humans, the species that Shiro claimed to be, seemed to be social creatures. The isolation was stifling his health. And talking seemed to help him remember himself. He never got too personal. He only told small anecdotes about his youth and school.

It was nice to have a bit of perspective as to the kind of being Shiro was.

A few times when he was delirious with pain he would cry about his brother and babble on about how he needed to get back to earth. He’d cry for his parents, and beg for mercy. Those nights Ulaz insisted that he stay in the medical ward for observation, and he would sit with him the whole night. He had learned better than to touch. The one time he tried to put a comforting hand on him, he’d almost lost it.

He also made it a priority to fend off Sendak whenever he could. The only time he ever got vetoed was if Hagar was feeling particularly cruel. It was happening more and more now. There were rumors that Zarkon has also requested Shiro’s presence a time or two, and that it was becoming a recurring event. No one questioned it too much. Zarkon was their great Emperor, he had the right to take what he wanted. But he could tell it more than got under Hagar’s skin.

Shiro never spoke of it. But after the first time, he was quiet. There was this haunted look in his eyes. It was also the second time that Ulaz had to heal injuries in his rectum. He didn’t get it. Why go so far to hurt what’s been broken and to abuse what you plan to use in the future? Having Shiro resent them would just make it harder in the long run, considering their goal. But he also knew that it was just seen as another way to break him. He just wished that they wouldn’t go this far.

“It’s not so bad,” Shiro said one day when he saw how troubled Ulaz looked while tending to the claw marks on his waist and thighs from where Zarkon had held onto him. A few of the gashes were starting to get infected. This wouldn’t happen if Zarkon took the time to retract his claws. He had a guess that he was trying to find a way to mark him that wasn’t on the neck where Sendak had already been.

“Sometimes he lets me stick around for a few quintants.” Shiro had picked up on terminology during his stay here. “Food, water, it’s warm, I get a real bed. And he’s pretty old, I just need to pretend like he’s a stud once or twice and let him dote on me. It’s not that bad.”

Ulaz didn’t say anything right away. He wasn’t sure what a “stud” was, but he was able to use context clues to figure out about what it means.

“I’m just worried about these scratches,” Ulaz looked up at him now. “Infection is something I would have liked to avoid, but I have to treat this now. If it spreads any further it could fester and become worse.”

Shiro sat back and let Ulaz worked. He was no longer ashamed of his nudity or of showing pain. He openly winced when something hurt, or voiced protest, even when it fell on deaf ears. Which worked in his favor. Hagar was much more irritable and wanted nothing more than to hear his screams during her experiments.

It only got worse when Zarkon asked for special alteration to be made to Shiro. Ulaz slipped up and looked at the paper in disgust in Hagar’s presence when he saw the request. But for once she seemed to agree with him, though for different reasons. But there was no way to back out of this without having to deal with the repercussions.

“You disapprove?” Hagar asked. She was watching him closely from under her hood. He had to make sure his emotions didn’t betray him.

“I don’t understand,” Ulaz said simply. “Galra are the superior race. I don’t understand the need to mix with other species. I know you were an exception, and I can see why. But he is our Emperor, he must have his reasons even for something like this.”

Hagar snorted at that.

~.~.~.~.~

Shiro took it better than Ulaz expected. After the procedure, Shiro had been left in his care. He complained that everything from his waist down hurt. That was to be expected. Ulaz gave him something for the pain and made sure he was fed.

“What’s even the point of taking over the universe?” Shiro groaned as he sat up.

“At first the Empire was supposed to expand to provide stability after the Galra homeworld was destroyed. We needed a few planets to allow the civilians to colonize and have somewhere to live. But we had just been at war with one of our past allies and destroyed their planet. No one was willing to take us in, so the Emperor did it by force. But that was ten thousand years ago. As time went on we continued to take and take for one reason or another. Very few know what the Emperor’s actual goal is.”

“I don’t get it. Then again, I couldn’t imagine ever being leader of a whole planet. I only ever had a few people working under me.”

“Doing what?” Ulaz asked.

“I was a pilot for space expeditions. We haven’t made it outside of our own solar system yet. But I would fly a crew out to some of the other planets around us and we would take samples to bring back. When I got caught, we were looking for ice crystals.”

“Ice crystals?”

“I’m not sure what for,” Shiro admitted. “My job was to get the scientist there and back. I had a little bit of training to use the harvesting equipment. It was kind of cool. The scientist promised that I would take one home with me. In the right light, it shows the whole color spectrum. I was going to give it to my brother when I got back.”

Ulaz stayed quiet and let Shiro talk. There wasn’t much he could say about the situation anyway.

“They’re probably looking for me. If the ship is still there they’ll probably find it. I already had it sealed in the proper container with his name on it. After a few years, they’ll probably release it to him, after they give up looking for me…”

Ulaz wished he could promise him that he could get him home, but he couldn’t guarantee anything like that at the moment. Not without breaking so many rules. Kolivan would never forgive him if he overstepped. Instead, he watched Shiro nibble on his food, occasionally wincing and placing hand on his stomach to try and sooth away the pain.

“I’m sorry.” Was all Ulaz could think to say.

~.~.~.~.~

Shiro was miserable. It showed on his face and in his posture. After back to back fights in the arena, a night with Sendak, just to go back to Hagar, before being presented to Zarkon and sent back to the arena, he was exhausted. It was no wonder he had taken such a devastating blow to his side. He had gotten sloppy in the last fight and barely made it out alive.

“Hurts,” Shiro mumbled, eyes closed as his ribs were mended.

“It will be over in a tick.” Ulaz ran a hand through his hair to soothe him. It was a mistake. He’d forgotten himself in the moment, but Shiro didn’t protest it. “Hang in there a little longer.”

“You could have let me go,” Shiro said softly. His facade was finally falling as he started to voice the despair that had been heavy in him since his capture. “It’s not like I’m going to get out of here. Dying is my only way to escape.”

“It’s not,” Ulaz tried to reassure him. “There are better ways.”

“Yeah? When you think of one, you let me know” Shiro groaned as he sat up. There were now jewels embedded into Shiro’s skin. Most of them seemed to be precious stones. There were many colors and clusters along his back and a few others in places like his palm or his leg. Hagar assured him that they were for tracking reasons. But with the way he was accumulating them, he’s sure only some of them were for tracking.

“I will,” Ulaz assured him. Shiro quirked an eyebrow as if he caught the sincerity in his voice.

“For real?” Shiro sat up a little straighter. Ulaz didn’t respond. He made up his mind a while ago, after having to check in on Shiro after his last battle. The man had been in the back of his cell tense and unmoving. His eyes wide and wild as he took in Ulaz’s every movement like he was tracking him, ready to pounce at any moment. Then, in an instant, he blinked when he recognized Ulaz as a friend and his disposition softened.

Right now Shiro could turn his aggression on and off when he needed to, but Ulaz feared the day when he no longer could. Hagar was making sure to constantly have him in situation where he needed to be on alert, and couldn’t relax without worrying about being harmed if his concentration slipped. It was conditioning. And it was working.

These times in the medical lab when it was just the two of them, were the only times he wasn’t in danger. Even so, Shiro didn’t completely trust him. He didn’t blame him. This deep in enemy territory where they were already playing mind games, there was no way for him to know if Ulaz was just a plant to get him to let his guard down. Shiro had asked him as much on multiple occasions.

“How is your arm?” Ulaz switched topics. Shiro had broken it not too long ago, but Ulaz hadn’t been on staff when it happened. The medic who was set the bone without care and it seemed to be healing wrong. Shiro complained of constant pain but still managed to fight and survive despite that fact that his right hand mostly hung lifelessly at his side.

“Numb,” Shiro confessed. “It hurt a lot last night and then I woke up and I couldn’t feel it. I can’t even bend my fingers.”

“Oh dear,” Ulaz gently held the arm and inspected it. He frowned feeling the way the bone didn’t connect in the right way. There was no way this was done by accident.

“It’s tender around the break,” Shiro admitted. He winced when Ulaz finger ran over the bulge of the bone.

“It might be infected,” Ulaz said. “In order to take care of something like this, we may have to…”

“Don’t say operate,” Shiro pleaded.

“If not the infection may spread. The arm might be able to be saved if we act fast enough.”

“I’m not going into her lab if I don’t have to.” Shiro declared pulling his arm back and cradling the dead limb close to his body.

“If the infection spreads, you will die.”

“I rather die than go back there.” His voice was a whispered as he looked down at himself. A haunted gaze hung in the back of his eyes. He had been changed in so many ways since he had gotten here. They worked at making him faster and stronger than anyone he might face. Each experiment was painful as they pushed his body to the brink of his biological capacity and beyond.

Ulaz knew this. He was there for most of it. But he couldn’t let Shiro die here. Not like this. He decided to categorize it as a minor surgery. That way Hagar wouldn’t care either way. If it was just something to patch him up, she didn’t take interest in it. Shiro still glared at him before Ulaz put him under. He had broken Shiro’s trust. He knows this, and he knows there is no way to apologize for this, but it had to be done. The plan was to reset the bone and see if the limb would still be usable. But once Shiro was under, Hagar came in.

The arm. Ulaz had forgotten that she wanted to replace it, to begin with. The wrongful reset wasn’t a mistake. It was just giving her a reason to remove it so she could add the cybernetic arm. But why go through the trouble? She could do whatever she wanted without approval. Why wait until he had him here first to walk in and…

Unless this was a test, a test Ulaz was failing. This should have been the moment he sought Hagar out to let her know that it would be a good time to attach the arm. Instead, he put it down as minor surgery to desperately save what he could of Shiro’s arm.  He may be caught.

“There’s no point in getting attached to it,” Hagar said as she gawked at her work. The arm was finally attached. The point of connection was a bit messy since Shiro’s skin was so delicate and didn’t respond well to being handled roughly. But the arm was connected. The fingers twitched a little as Shiro started to come back around.

“My apologies Madame. I was just…I was hoping to see what we could make him accomplish before we modified him. I had hoped that by taking him to those limits that the cybernetics would only enhance.”

“Such a purest,” Hagar snorted. Ulaz couldn’t be sure if she was amused or disgusted. “We’ve done all we can with his body as it was. With this gift from the Empire, he will accomplish much more. We may soon be able to have him out on the field of battle.”

Ulaz kept composure. He couldn’t picture it. He knew Shiro would let them kill him before he fought against a rebelling nation. He may even join forces with them if it meant escape from all of this. Hagar may be overestimating her ability to manipulate him. But that was a good thing.

“Tend to him. Make sure he stays strapped down” Hagar warned. “We don’t need him lashing out with that thing just yet.”

Ulaz nodded and saluted her with the proper phrase. All that was left to do was wait. He wasn’t sure how he was going to face Shiro. He knows that there’s no way they could start over after this, but he’s also not sure how Shiro will react. He had seen him almost go into shock over a slash to the stomach and seen him in real shock the one time he had almost been eaten in the arena. He had been rambling and shaking in a cold sweat. It took forever to talk him through it and bring him back to himself.

So he wasn’t surprised that when Shiro woke up and saw the arm, he screamed.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go!  
> If you liked this let me know! I live on comments ^o^  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com) I have Voltron art there as well ^^


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hagar's plans are in the final stages, and Ulaz is worried what this means for Shiro. This might be Ulaz's last chance to help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! It's more of Ulaz's pov! Drop a comment if you like this fic!  
> I'm also on [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com) if you want to see more of my Uliro art.

There was a commotion coming from down the hallway. One would think that the guards were dealing with some sort of wild animal that was set loose in the ship. Screams of anguish and a call for backup pierced through the normal silence of the med bay.

“What is that?” One of the new medical technicians asked.

“The Champion is on his way,” Ulaz said simply. He was facing away from the others so he could allow himself to smile a little. Recently, Shiro has been a lot more aggressive with the guards or any form of authority. Even after dealing with Hagar, he somehow would pull himself together just enough to prove to her that he wasn’t broken. 

Two disheveled guards finally managed to get him into the examination room. Shiro was shackled and muzzled so he couldn’t do that much damage. His breathing was heavy and his eyes were wild as he continued to struggle against his captures. And there was blood on him. Some from his earlier battle and some was his own, but the purple-tinged liquid was distinctly Galran blood. 

“You’re quite spirited today,” Ulaz said, his tone slightly condescending, but Shiro just grinned at him, showing purple bloodied teeth. They must not have gotten the muzzle on him fast enough this time.

“Set him on the table and I’ll take it from here,” Ulaz instructed.

“Do you want one of us to stay?” One of the guards panted. Ulaz was of a slighter build than most of the other Galra. Even when he was with the Blades, they used to poke fun at how fragile he looked. 

“I can handle it,” Ulaz assured him. “I’ve handled him on my own well before this.”

“So you don’t need me here?” The assistant asked. He stumbled back as the guards placed Shiro on the table. 

“Just for a tick while I take his vitals. We’ll have to check his teeth though. So the muzzle will have to come off eventually.” Ulaz mused. 

Even the guard seemed uneasy about that. 

“If I take off the muzzle, will you bite?” Ulaz asked with an edge if caution. Shiro shook his head. “Are you lying?” Ulaz quirked an eyebrow. This time Shiro’s eyes twinkled as he grinned and nodded.

“Are you sure about this?” The guard asked as he watched Ulaz take his reading and let the poor assistant leave.

“Quite, Hagar has taught me how to deal with him when he’s like this. I’ll be fine.”

Once they were alone Shiro settled down and let Ulaz tend to him. He didn’t talk as much since he got his arm replaced. He’d given Ulaz the cold shoulder for a time, but he seemed to be warming back up to him. He was the only other one here who he could talk to at this point.

“Do you hurt anywhere?” Ulaz asked.

“Pulled something in my leg,” Shiro shifted to indicate which one.

“There’s no quick fix for that.” Ulaz hummed. “I’ll put a note in your file. It should keep you from the Battle Arena and experiments for a while so you have time to heal.” He finally removed the muzzle.

“Not scared I’m gonna bite ya?” Shiro taunted.

“No,” Ulaz said as he removed the last of Shiro’s shackles. “You don’t hurt unless it’s necessary.” He was just a little weary of Shiro at this point. But part of him knew that he wouldn’t lash out at him. Ulaz wasn’t the real enemy right now.

Shiro was tense. He kept his eyes locked on Ulaz the whole time. But it was normal for him to be cautious. 

“More or less you’re okay,” Ulaz informed him. “You have no major injuries this time around, just a few scratches and bruises. Is there anything bothering you?”

“Want the list?” Shiro quirked an eyebrow.

“Anything bothering you concerning your health?” Ulaz clarified. 

“Not really” Shiro looked down at the arm and clenched his fist.

“We’ll run a few diagnostic test on that to make sure everything is working the right way” Ulaz made sure to take special care in observing the way the arm worked. He was checking to make sure that there was no programming in it to help with conditioning, or worse. What he did find was that the arm responded to Shiro’s emotions, as well as his thoughts. While he could activate it at will, he also could trigger it with emotions. It’s why there was an override programmed in: so Hagar could decide when and where Shiro could use it as a weapon.

“Your skin seems to be healing just fine,” Ulaz noted. It was no longer red and inflamed like it had been the last few quintants. “Does it feel heavy sometimes, like it’s trying to fall off?”

“No, but I wished it would,” Shiro sighed. 

“Have you been getting headaches, light-headed, dizzy?”

“No.”

“Any memory lapses?”

“No more than usual?” Shiro shrugged.

“What do you mean by that?” Ulaz was concerned now.

“I get hit in the head a lot,” Shiro reasoned.

“Head trauma is one of your least occurring injuries,” Ulaz looked at Shiro’s chart. 

“Best I could come up with.” He shrugged.

“We’ll start keeping track of when it’s happening,” Ulaz said, but he didn’t mark it on the chart. He didn’t need Hagar knowing this.

“It’s not that big of a deal. Besides, I’m not aware of when it happens. Sometimes the prisoners or the guards will mention things I’ve done that I don’t remember doing. It might not even be a memory thing. It might just be rumors about my fights.”

“Give me an example of one,” Ulaz wanted confirmation.

“They said I once got a family in the arena killed or something like that. I can’t really see myself doing something like that.”

“Can you describe it? What they said.”

“Something about people being fed to a monster. I know the Empire is cruel but I’ve never seen them do anything like that. And there’s no way I would just sit back and let something like that happen. I’ve fought the guards over stupider stuff.”

“I see,” Ulaz nodded. He thinks he’s starting to get it. This must be some sort of long-term form of shock. Another time when Shiro can’t handle what happened, but instead of over processing it as his mind trying to make sense of everything and going into shock, he just forgot about it. He didn’t know he was capable of that, and apparently, neither did Shiro.

“Well?” Shiro quirked an eyebrow at him again waiting for some sort of result or diagnosis. He was looking at him with the trust he had once had, knowing that the only one who would give him a straight answer was Ulaz. And it was why Ulaz couldn’t tell him what had happened. He couldn’t be the reason that Shiro started hyperventilating and curled into a ball, crying at what he had done. 

“I would remember if something like that happened,” Ulaz said. It wasn’t quite a lie, but he also refrained from telling the truth. Much to his relief,  Shiro let out a breath and relaxed again.

Shiro was about to say something when the door slid opened and Sendak entered. His Lieutenant, Haxus, was at his side and not for far behind were two of his bigger crew members.

“What’s taking so long?” the Commander demanded. 

“I need to finish checking his arm,” Ulaz said. “There seems to be a few problem with it.” He knew why Sendak was here, and there was no way he was handing Shiro over him. As if to strengthen his reasoning, he could see Shiro shrinking back from the group that had entered.

“Calm down,” Sendak snarled. “Shiro here will be assisting me on a mission. Didn’t Hagar inform you?” 

“No, I was not informed. Regardless it does not change my professional opinion. He’s not fit to…”

“Hagar will be the one to decide that,” Sendak said. “I came to collect him for inspecting.”

Ulaz nodded and forced himself to step away from Shiro.

“Do let her know I’m worried about the arm and the ways it’s functioning. I don’t think it would be wise to send him into battle,” Ulaz said as the guards shackled and dragged Shiro from the room. “If for any other reason than for the precaution of preserving her own work.” 

Sendak said nothing as Shiro was taken away. Once he and the guards were out of the room, however, he turned to Ulaz. 

“You don’t have to hide it,” Sendak smirked. “We all know you’re very fond of him. Even Hagar has noticed.”

Ulaz knew he was being baited: he stayed quiet and let Sendak talk. 

“Not that I can blame you. He is an exotic beauty” Sendak purred. Haxus grit his teeth, since he was also stuck here listening to this little speech. 

“What are you getting at?” Ulaz finally asked. 

“Keeping him from me won’t make him yours,” Sendak came closer until they were nose to nose. Ulaz leaned away, letting Sendak feel like he was intimidating him. “It’s bad enough Zarkon has first dibs on him now. I don’t like to share, medic. Keep that in mind.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“All I’m saying is I only need to tell Hagar that I’ve seen you do more than has been asked of you for him, and she’ll put someone else in charge of the project. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir,” Ulaz nodded. “My apologies.” 

“Good.” Sendak stepped back, smiling at him with all his teeth. “Don’t let it happen again.” With that, Sendak turned and left. Haxus wasn’t too far behind him.

~.~.~.~.~

Ulaz didn’t see Shiro for a while after that. Hagar assured him that Sendak had been told to preserve him at all costs. He was to take observational notes about the mission and to keep an eye on the arm.

“What did you say the problem with it was again?” Hagar had asked him. Ulaz felt a chill go down his spine. She was checking in on his work, something she started doing after the incident with the arm. It wasn’t a good sign.

“He was complaining of pain in it,” Ulaz said smoothly. “I was worried that some of the connections may be loose.”

“I looked it over and I didn’t see anything like that.”

“I wasn’t sure of the cause of it,” Ulaz explained. “I was just worried about what it might be. But Sendak's reports aren’t saying that he’s showing any more signs of distress so it must have been something else. It may just be lingering side effects from the surgery. A few weeks after soldiers lose a limb, they do complain of ghost pains. It may be something similar.”

“Such an inquisitive mind.” Hagar teased. She had recruited him to work with her on a few more projects. None of them were as successful as Shiro. They never seemed to live for that long, even when Hagar took Ulaz’s advice about sedation and anesthetic. 

It was taking a toll on him.

Thace ended up on the ship for a little while. It came as a relief to see another Blade member. They weren’t able to talk to each other much, lest they arouse suspicion. It was just nice to see him. Thace had been a friend before they had joined the Blades. They spent much of their time as juveniles together. Thace had always been the more level-headed of the two. He was the one to curb Ulaz’s impulsive behavior: force him to think about the consequences of his actions.

It’s why he wanted to talk to him about what he planned on doing. He needed someone to tell him it was a bad idea. They ended up meeting up after dinner. They met in Ulaz’s room, since they both knew it was secure. 

“It’s a risky move,” Thace agreed. “A lot of information could go out the window and Kolivan won’t be too happy. No one has ever bailed on a mission, there’s no telling what your punishment will be. Besides, it’s one person. There’s no way he’ll pay off in the end.”

“Yes, but the information I’ve been able to get isn’t anything vital.”

“You’re still working your way up. Hagar now has you working on more than one project it’s only a matter of time before you’re allowed to know more. And what you learn could be a big help.”

“I know,” Ulaz sighed. “But they’re both two very big what-ifs. Neither of them is definite.”

“One is very definite. Once you rise in rank you learn more. The more you learn the more concise our operation is. Knowledge or Death.”

Ulaz sighed, slumping into the couch they were sitting on.

“Thace,” he sighed, “I don’t think I can handle when he breaks.”

Thace sat up a little straighter at this new development. “Did you tell Kolivan that you need to pull out?”

“I can’t leave him here either.”

“So your escape is his escape?”

“I wouldn’t say it like that, but yes in a way. I want to take him with me, or get him home, or to a refuge planet. Anything but this.”

“This isn’t your first time watching this kind of thing happen to prisoners.”

“He’s been under Hagar's knife almost the whole time he’s been here. Between that and the guards, and Sendak, and Zarkon, and the arena and what they sent him off to do. He deserves something more. Something better than dying a miserable death on this ship.”

“No one deserves anything in this world,” Thace said. “But we can’t always stop bad things from happening.”

“Isn’t that the point to all this? To overthrow the Empire and stop things like this from happening?”

“Yes, but on a bigger scale. Ulaz, I can tell you’ve already made up your mind, and you know how I feel about this subject. You’re not going to wear me down into agreeing with you.”

“I know,” Ulaz sighed. “I was just hoping that I can convince someone I’m doing the right thing. I’ve been getting his mission reports back from Sendak. The things they have him doing…” Ulaz shook his head. “He’s not going to be okay when he comes back.”

“Just don’t do anything that will get you killed.” Thace pleaded.

“You think it’s foolish then?”

“Ulaz, you have a good heart,” Thace placed a hand on Ulaz’s knee and began to purr. It was a soft low cadence that siblings and parents used to sooth the young. “If you think it’s the right thing to do, it probably is, but there’s no point if you get hurt as well. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you…”

The door swished opened behind them and they both jumped. No one should be able to enter his living quarters without requesting entrance first. But there in the doorway was Hagar and two druids. Ulaz felt his heart catch in this throat. He had checked this room. He made sure it was secure. He couldn’t believe that he had gotten him and Thace caught.

Thace sent him a worried look as they both straightened up.

“Am I interrupting something?” Hagar asked. Her voice wasn’t condensing or cruel, just curious. Then Ulaz realized the way she was looking at him and Thace. She must think that…They separated from each other, both a little embarrassed that they had panicked for nothing. 

“No,” Ulaz said carefully. “Did you need me, Madam?”

“Yes. The last subject we worked on. He’s not bonding to his new leg well. I need you in the lab. “

“I’ll be right there.” He got up. “You can let yourself out,” he told Thace as he left.

As Hagar had said, their newest patient wasn’t handling the new prosthetic well. He died as Ulaz tried to fix it. He started to clean up the waste and dispose of the mess. 

“Is Thace your mate?” Hagar asked.

“I, no. No, he is not.”

“Is he courting you? Or are your courting him?”

“It’s nothing like that I assure you.”

Hagar looked a little amused, “It wouldn’t be frowned upon if you were. You’re always on different ships so there’s no sort of fraternization. If anything coming back to you would make him fight harder.”

Ulaz merely avoided her gaze. She took that as her answer. She actually laughed at him as she dismissed him and wished him a “good night.” Even though it was embarrassing, it was a good excuse, and even better that Hagar had come to the conclusion on her own.

~.~.~.~.~

Ulaz wasn’t sure if he could stomach having to read the reports. Shiro had been gone for a little over a phoeb with Sendak and his crew and he can only imagine what else may be happening. He knows Shiro is strong enough to be battered and still get up and fight, and he knows Sendak knows that too. 

But he can’t spend all his time worrying about that. He needed to stay on task to what Hagar had assigned him to do, both his normal duties and the things that got added in on the day-to-day. He couldn’t risk screwing up.

Then, he got the last report. Shiro had been badly injured on their last mission. He was patched up on the ship, but they were bringing him back. Other than that, Hagar’s plans had gone off without a hitch. Ulaz was to meet them at the lab so he could look him over and make sure there was no major damage to him or the arm that the crew may have missed.

Hagar was discussing something with Sendak once they landed so Ulaz got to tend to Shiro alone. To his surprise, Shiro walked in with a bit of a limp. There were no shackles, no muzzle, and the guards seemed at ease as they deposited him onto the table. They even left without asking if Ulaz would need help.

Shiro lay on the table, his eyes looking at some far corner in the room. Ulaz looked though Sendak’s notes when Shiro didn’t answer him as to where he was injured. Sure enough, it was the leg he was favoring when he walked in. There was a cut on his inner thigh. It didn’t look like anything from a battle, more like a post-battle celebration cession with Sendak. He pushed his anger aside as he mended it. 

Shiro continued to lay silently. 

Ulaz didn’t like the looks of this.

Hagar was ecstatic about the outcome.

“We can begin the next phase. I want to rebuild his mind now that he’s vulnerable. The druids will start work on opening up the proper channels to make him more receptive. Before you know it he’ll be our most loyal soldier.”

“I’d like to keep him here for the night. Some of his reflexes are a little off. I want to run some tests.” Ulaz requested.

“Go ahead. Let me know what you find.” Hagar was eager to start drawing up new plans; she didn’t seem to care what happened either way. 

Ulaz actually was concerned this time. Shiro being unresponsive was nothing new. But when it happened before he was blatantly ignoring him, or was unconscious. This time was different. He didn’t respond when things moved in front of him, he had no reflexes at all. He just lay there, broken. It was everything Ulaz had feared, and everything Hagar had hoped for.

It didn’t matter how long Ulaz kept him for observation, Shiro didn’t move, didn’t talk. He just laid on the table looking out into space. His chest rose and fell gently as he breathed. He was nothing more than a shell of what he used to be.

Despite this, Hagar was ready for the next step. Shiro was responsive only to orders and directions. Ulaz remembers watching in horror as Hagar managed to get him to get off the table and walk to the door without any guards having to monitor him. 

“The human psyche is an amazing thing. This is him without any influence from us.” Hagar boasted.

“I think he’s just given up,” Ulaz spoke plainly, keeping his emotions out of this. 

“Either way, we can rebuild him from the ground up and make him loyal to the Empire. He’ll be my greatest creation yet.”

“What are we to do next?” Ulaz asked.

“He’s off to the arena. I want to see if he’s still capable of fighting like this.”

“I’ll await your report.” Ulaz turned to go back to his duties, but Hagar stopped him.

“Don’t you want to see if the fruits of your labor were worth it?” She asked. 

“Well yes, I just assumed I wasn’t able to leave my post.” 

“I’ll give you a reprieve for a moment. You’ve been most loyal during this process. You deserve a reward. Come watch this battle.”

“Thank you, Lady Hagar.” He couldn’t be more disgusted by this. The last thing he wanted to watch was Shiro fight. The few times he had to go to keep up appearances were one thing. Shiro had been present during those fights. There was a spark of determination and life that embodied his every move as he fought to stay alive another day. But this time it was eerie to watch how he walked into the arena still dazed and lifeless as he cut down his opponent quickly and efficiently. After the match, he was escorted out of the arena. 

“It won’t be much longer now,” Hagar assured Ulaz. 

Ulaz was too disheartened to care. He should have gone with his first instinct and gotten Shiro out of there when he had the chance. He wasn’t sure what will become of Shiro now, but he knew deep down that it was his fault for not acting. And with how skilled Shiro was before all this, there was no telling the damage he would do to the universe and the benefits for the Empire.    
He watched the man on the medical table, covered in blood from the fight, just laying there. No matter how hard he stared at him, he couldn’t will him to move or speak. But he couldn’t just walk away from him. He needed to face what he’s done. So he started tending to the small wound he had received during the battle and check the arm for damage or to see if it was malfunctioning. During the process, Shiro’s breathing picked up. He must have hit a nerve to cause that kind of response. He went to place a finger on Shiro’s neck so he could feel for his pulse to make sure his heart rate wasn’t rising too high, but Shiro flinched away. 

Ulaz looked up to see Shiro looking back at him in alarm. 

“Shiro?”

Shiro’s eyes darted back and forth in his skull. He wasn’t quite back just yet. There wasn’t the same kind of light, the same kind of awareness that he normally had. Ulaz watched the way those grey eyes seemed to swim with emotion as Shiro fought to break through, to come back to himself. When he surfaced, he took a deep breath, as if gasping for air.

“Where am I?” He asked, pulling away from Ulaz completely.

“You’re in the infirmary labs,” Ulaz clarified.

He watched Shiro look around, terrified. 

“Do you not remember coming in here?” Ulaz asked gently.

“Is this still Sendak’s ship?”

“No. You’re back at the Central Command System. Is Sendak’s ship the last place you remember being?”

“How long have I been here?”

“A couple of quintants. No more than a movement.”

Shiro’s eyes widen as the realization set in on him. Had he not been aware of where he was the whole time he was here. He was starting to shake the way he did just before a panic attack. Ulaz never knew what to do in these moments besides give him a light sedative, but when he pulled out the needle Shiro made a little noise to signal he was scared and started to curl in on himself.

Ulaz put it away and tried to get Shiro to lay down.

“Just relax for a moment. There’s no one here but us.”

“They’re going to come for me,” Shiro’s voice pitched and he was fighting back tears. “They always come for me.”

“But not right now,” Ulaz stroked his hair, surprised that Shiro let him while he was in this state. “For now you’re safe. You should rest, you’ll need your strength.”

“Ulaz, I can’t…” Shiro whispered, pleaded trying to get him to understand. 

“Shiro, I know…” Ulaz was going to say more, but Shiro cut him off.

“Takashi.”

“I don’t understand.” Ulaz’s face scrunched at the unfamiliar word.

“My name is Takashi. Shiro is just my family name.”

“I see.” Ulaz couldn’t admit to the way his stomach flipped and his heart started to pound. “Takashi. I’m not going to let them get you again” He promised. Kolivan was going to be mad at him, maybe even dismiss him from the Blades, but he couldn’t sit back any longer. He thought he had missed his opportunity, but now he had a second chance. He wasn’t going to let it pass.

Takashi looked up at him almost hopeful for a second, but said, “You don’t have to make that kind of a false promise. It’s not…”

“I mean it,” Ulaz said firmly as he clasped Takashi’s hand. “Trust me. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll get you out of here.”

“Ulaz. It’s okay. I’m not scared of dying. I wish it wasn’t that I was going to die here but, there’s nothing we can do.”

Ulaz nodded and let the subject drop. That’s it, his mind was made up. It didn’t matter the cost, he was getting Takashi back home.  

TBC, in Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No worries, I'm already working on the sequel. I'm good and into chapter seven and it's looking like it's going to be a 40K+ fic.  
> And everything that wasn't explained in Ulaz's point of view will be explained in the next part, or the part after that. (I think this might turn into a three part series).  
> I update my progress on [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com) . Or you can check it out if you just want to chat about Uliro stuff.  
> Drop a comment if you liked this story! It's what keeps me going.  
> I'll see you guys at the sequel ^o^

**Author's Note:**

> There's more to come! Drop a comment if you enjoyed it!  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com) I have Uliro art there as well


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